North Canterbury lines company MainPower is focussed on restoring power over the weekend to 1,300 customers, down from more than 6,000 yesterday.
Acting Chief Executive Damien Whiffen says around 80 percent of the network has been assessed and faults identified so the company has a clearer picture of the main areas of concern.
“We are delighted that the teams have restored power to most of Hanmer Springs, including the central business district of the town – just in time for the long weekend and the reopening of SH7A.
“We’ve restored power to nearly 2,000 customers today, and we have 15 full crews and half a dozen smaller crews out tomorrow – that’s 55 field staff and 22 support staff from nine different EDBs repairing, replacing and relivening our network.”
A key area of concern is Waiau where raised river levels have damaged a power pole in the Waiau River bed near Waiau township.
“Any river users, including boaties, should stay well away from any power lines that are near the water, and treat all lines as live at all times. It will be some time before we can repair this section as poles in riverbeds are a complex operation and time consuming to repair.
The river crossing near the Hurunui mouth also has a broken overhead power line and this will also take some time to correct so customers in this area should expect to be without power for another week. The line is hanging near the waterline and should not be approached under any circumstances.”
Whiffen says the company is keenly away that customers are eager to get power restored.
“Our crews are doing everything they can, and we want to thank our customers for their patience while we work to restore the network. Our teams are reaching out to those who are likely to be off for extended periods, but encourage people to maintain their no power plan and keep an eye on our outage map for the most up-to-date information.”
